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It sounds a simple question. I want to lose around 2 stone, i'm currently running for about 30-45 minutes (trying to build that up) and i'm using my workout DVD for as long as I can. What kind of meals should I have?

The exercise sounds good, you can do more but its certainly not neccessary. In fact I am kind of worried about the "as long as I can" bit. Careful not to over do it.

You should eat balanced meals, low on saturated fats, and based around a good lean protein source. Also make sure you eat small daily amounts of essential fatty acids found in oily fish, unsalted nuts (particularly walnuts for omega 3), quality oils (e.g. olive oil and canola), leafy green vegetables, etc. (or of course, as supplements).

So, examples might be 1. chicken breast, modest portion of rice and a salad (made with a good oil), 2. lean beef, modest portion of whole wheat pasta, vegetables, 3. low fat cottage cheese, an apple, and some walnuts, etc

You can get plenty of examples from search engines.

Eat regularly, do not skip meals and be smart about your meal plans. This means eating more of your carbs earlier in the day (e.g. meal 1 and 2) to fuel your workouts, and few carbs before periods of inactivity/sleep (e.g. meal 3).

Beyond this its all about portion control and tweaking your calories so that you have a daily deficit. Experiment until you reach a sensible weight loss figure e.g. 1-2 pounds per week.

Good luck.

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I am trying to eat healthier and my mom made tacos today and I was thinking that maybe tacos are actually healthy for you to eat because they have stuff like cheese, meat (hamburger or chicken), lettuce, and tomatoes inside a thing tortilla thing. So, does that mean tacos are actually really good for you and you can eat them when you're on a diet?

Hey there.

Here is the way it breaks down:

Not all cheeses and meats are created equal.

Cheese is rarely healthy. You can get lower fat varieties which are better though.

Beef varies immensely. On the low fat end (about 5%) its a good, healthy source of protein. At the high end (usually 20+%) its terrible. People dont realise this when they eat out for example, since most places use the high fat meats.

So, if the tacos are made with low fat beef or with chicken (which is also fine), then its really just the cheese that may be an issue. If you limit that and use low fat varieties tacos can be a perfectly healthy meal.

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My bf was talking about me giving him a blow job because i told him i'd give him head this weekend and he was like yeah but he isn't circumsized like other guys. i've never seen a penis so like what is he talking about? what is circumsize and what is not circumsize difference?

Just to add a bit to the answer below, it can in fact be done at any point in a man's life. Sexually, the only real difference (for the guy) is that a circumcised penis is considerably less sensitive.

In regards to your situation it does not make any difference at all. He was just concerned that since you (presumably) live in a country where circumcision is common that you would think he looks "weird". In the US most people are circumcised, in Europe they are not... just a matter of preference.

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Fourteen years ago, I was baptized Catholic. I attended a Catholic school from kindergarten to second grade. Aside from that I never went regularly to church, still don't. In the beginning of third grade I moved and attended public school. However, about a year ago I started doubting my religion. I did my share of research and found it that ,maybe, Catholicism wasn't the religion for me. So I declared myself agnostic, I still do. I still am very unsure of what to believe. Anyways, when I tried to 'clue' it to my mom she exploded and TOLD me I was Catholic and that God WAS real. Pretty much forcing this upon me. I believe that religion is a personal thing and that a person should not force it onto you (like baptism). I respect my mother and the Catholic church and their beliefs. I just so happen not to believe the same as them. So what I wanted advice on is my mother. Should I just not even try to get her to understand me? We usually get along fine, it's just the topic of religion that we have our different views on.

I would appreciate it if your respected my views as I do yours, so please don't bash me.

Well, religion is always a topic that stirs up emotion. You have to also remember that much of it is based on fear, so it can be hard for some people to open themselves to a different point of view.

However, I do think that time might be your ally here. And when I say time, I do mean years. For now there is no need to provoke more confrontation. It is clear that your mom is not open to the possibility of being wrong- that is usually the way to assess when to argue with someone by the way, if they are not open to that possibility, you will be wasting your energy.

So, stick to your guns, but do it privately for now. If she asks, explain it to her calmly and rationally. If she argues, defend your points (should not be too difficult considering the lack of proof/rampant inconsistencies in religion). As time goes by you can try to approach her again or to hint at your beliefs when the right circumstances arise- and they will.

Basically what I am saying is that you have a far better chance of getting her to come to terms with this if you do it gradually and give her the time to get used to it. She may never embrace your position, but she may well come to accept it.

Good luck.

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Hi it's me again. I don't know if you remember but i mentioned i wanted to gain muscle in my arms and legs so i joined a gym and i go mon,wed,and fri. I bought the amplified wheybolic 60 or something like that which i have to take almost everyday but it tastes really bad and it made my stomach hurt. I really don't want to take so do you think that in less than a year i will see results without taking the shake?? I also don't eat a lot of protein because i don't like most foods that have a lot of protein.Should i maybe try to eat protein bars?? Thanks in advance!

Hi,

The protein shake is just a supplement. If it gives you problems just forget about it.

You will certainly see results within a year, but you should try to find some sources of protein that you are ok with.

Protein bars are fine, so yeah go ahead and give those a try. Otherwise typical bodybuilder protein sources include: poultry, lean meats, tuna, salmon, other fish, cottage cheese, egg whites, and other low fat dairy products like yoghurt. Plant sources with decent protein content such as beans (particularly soy), oats, and nuts are also good. However remember plant sources are incomplete (they do not contain all the essential amino acids) so they should be mixed together.

One thing you could try to do with the shake is to use it to "spike" up some foods in small amounts. It might still taste gross to you lol, so use at own risk :D I sometimes add some to yoghurt for example.

Thats pretty much it :)

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Hello,

So I am moving within the next month or so and before I made getting an apartment final, I wanted to get a job first.

Now, my problem is how can I tell employers that I am moving into the city soon since my address will be from a different city. Can you mention something on a cover letter?

Also, how can I word my objective on my resume to sound good, I am currently a college student and I just need a job or two to pay the bills for my apartment and schooling and whatnot.

Any help would be appreciated...Thanks!

Hey there.

The address issue I would mention in the cover letter.

The objective part I would leave out as you phrase it here. Instead just tell them that you are a college student looking for work and then explain why you are interested in taking on that particular job.

You need to be specific here. Show why you are a great fit to this particular work. Pay attention to the job description and the requirements. If its a front line job, you might mention that you want/like to work with people. If its something that might benefit you later in life you might say that you are interested in gaining experience in this field. If its a loose job description with ad hoc tasks you might say that you really enjoy a varied work schedule.

In any case, point to your strengths and to any previous relevant experience, and show enthusiasm- within believable limits. Employers want employees who want to be there and/or who will be a good fit to that kind of work. Or at least (sadly) they pick the applications that best give that illusion. Those kinds of employees (they assume) work harder, need less supervision, are more dependable, are less likely to quit suddenly, etc.

Also make the application's focus be on how you can contribute to them. Often applications tend to get a "me, me, me" sort of sound. Keep the focus on the specific job and the specific company.

Good luck :)

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Okay so i'm a 15 year old girl who wants to gain weight or muscle to be exact. I am beyond skinny which everyone says i'm lucky because i have a models body but i have really thin arms and chicken legs so i can't wear dresses or shorts or anything for that matter. i recently joined a gym and i bought this protein shake called amplified wheybolic extreme 60. I would like to know if it works and how long it takes. I haven't started drinking it because i don't wanna get all gross with huge muscles i just want my arms to not be so skinny and to have good enough legs i still wanna keep my body just make it not so skinny. Thanks in advance!!

Hey there.

First off, that protein shake will have no effect without weight training. With weight training it is a great tool :)

Second, dont ever concern yourself in any shape or form about getting "all gross with huge muscles". It takes guys years (even guys on steroids), and it takes women much longer. The female bodybuilders that make women look kind of gross normally have been training like mad for a decade and abused enough illegal substances to kill a horse.

Muscle gain is very, very gradual no matter how intense the training, so dont hold back- you can stop anytime in the process.

Ok so here is the best way to do this. First, for muscle gain, we need anaerobic resistance training. We need to design a program for you that emphasises your legs and arms, but which also hits your other areas. This is important otherwise you might end up with posture problems and/or not looking so good. Also some core work is neccessary to avoid injury.

So how about this. I will design two "days" of training. They will both be full body and they will both emphasise the areas you care about. Then, you just alternate between them at the gym leaving at least one day break between them (e.g. Mon-Wed-Fri).

Day 1:

Barbell squat (quads, etc): 3x10-12
Lying or seated leg curls (hamstrings): 2x10-12
Incline dumbell bench press (pecs/delts): 2x10-12
Seated Cable Rows (Back): 2x10-12
Alternate hammer curl (biceps): 2x10-12
Dumbbell one arm triceps extension: 2x10-12
Hyperextensions (lower back): 2x15-20
Crunches (abs): 2x20-25


Day 2:

Dumbbell lunges (quads): 3x10-12
Romanian deadlift (hamstrings, lower back): 2x10-12
Flat bench press (pecs): 2x10-12
Barbell or DB shoulder press (delts): 2x10-12
Lat cable pulldown (back): 2x10-12
Barbell/ Dumbell curl (biceps): 2x 10-12
Cable tricep extension, any variant (triceps): 2x 10-12
Knee/ hip raise (abs- lower): 2x20-25

You can find all the exercises here (including videos):
http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/

Pay particular attention to your form in things like the squat, lunges, and romanian deadlift. These are great exercises but they need to be done right.

Beyond this, add any sort of cardio that you may want to do. Health wise, every person on earth should do at least 3 light 20 minute cardios per week (biking, jogging, stair machines, etc.).

Use your whey shake directly after training. Ideally it should be mixed with water not milk for fast absorption (though this is not that important).

Remember, muscle gain is like a 3 legged stool: training, eating, rest. Remove one and it all falls apart. So eat well (daily calorie surplus) and get plenty of sleep.

I cant tell you how long it will take unfortunately, but you should start to see results within the first month or two.

Good luck.

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17/f
5'1 115 lbs

I've recently started speed walking (speed of 3.8 on my treadmill) for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes and using a resistance band doing 3 sets of 25 reps to tone my triceps and biceps.

How long would you estimate that it be before I start seeing results in my legs and arms?

Thanks :)

EDIT: Where in your post do you mention gaining muscle? You used the word tone, which is never used as a synonym of hypertrophy. Thanks so much for rating me down for your own mistake.

The short answer to that question, is that absolutely none of your training is suited for muscle gain (which I believe I actually did answer below).


Hey there,

In fitness, the word "toned" (which is used by every piece of exercise equipment targetting women) does not really have a good definition. Basically, fat can be lost or gained, or muscle can be lost or gained. Toned is some sort of mixture of fat loss and muscle gain- which are two radically different processes.

So I have to split the two efforts since they depend on different factors.

1. Losing fat depends entirely on your calorie balancce. How quick you will slim down therefore goes hand in hand with what you eat, and anyone that gives you an estimate without this info has no idea what they are talking about.

Also, since fat loss cannot be targetted through exercise, fat cells are burned from all over your body during weight loss. Genetics determines if one or more areas are more "stubborn" than others- so there you have another impediment to being able to predict results.

2. Gaining muscle by contrast depends on a calorie surplus. If you are a beginner though, you will probably see some limited effect within the first few weeks even without a proper diet.

In general the muscle gain effect depends on what kind of training you do. Your rep range is not ideal for this purpose since it is high (and hence the resistance is too low). You will of course still see some effect for your biceps and triceps, it will just be slower than if you trained heavier.


Now, all this being said, you obviously exercise a lot. So getting a calorie deficit for weight loss should not be exceedingly difficult. Chances are that you will probably begin to see some effect within a few weeks... its just that with the wrong diet that answer could just as easily be never.

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I like your views on People are dating and have different REligion View. well I grow up in a christain family and we belive in god and we do hoildays and go to church.
well I been dating this guy for 9 month. and he is sweet and funny and good to me. and we get along pretty good. but how ever his family Daugher Married a family who are kunck off of christ of christ and that they don't like Clebartie Hoildays and think crosses and Pegans. and well my bf can be strong minded. and it not that he don't like crosses andthink there bad it just he belive don't need them to remeber and stuff all you need is job. well i do care and love him but not sure if i married and have kids with him becouse it be alot harder. we seem to be good together but it get to religion it seem like a issue too his family. i mean thye like me. theiy belive i am gift from god. becouse well I am Hard of hearing n born with celf palated and small and such. i don't know. I realy need some tips and advice and like soem others thoughts think
amanda

Hey there.

First off, my opinion will probably be a bit off the beaten path, but the beauty of such a site is in the variety of positions I think.

I will be honest with you, I had a hard time understanding the last part of what you wrote, but I think I get the gist anyway.

Here's the deal with religion. By default almost all religions are exclusionary- in the sense that they profess absolute truth. Since you cannot have 2 conflicting absolute truths, it follows that one can at most tolerate your partner's beliefs- but that one invariably perceives it as a "false" position.

So the way I see it, marriages/relationships between two people that firmly believe in different faiths are rather difficult. For one thing each will be convinced that, upon death, the other will burn in whatever hell their religion believes in.

Furthermore, there is the issue of children. Surely neither will (or should) allow their child to follow the other spouse's faith if they truly believe in their eternal punishment.

So I see them as inherently incompatible.

Of course, some people do make them work. Usually they do this by either ignoring parts of their own faith (watering it down so to speak and ignoring all the "nasty" parts from their holy books), converting to the other spouse's faith, or questioning the concept of faith altogether (after all, not one single relgion offers a shred of evidence to support itself).

How you choose to go about it is up to you. I am an atheist personally, so you can guess my recommendation.

However, there will have to be some hard compromises made, and these compromises are often not in line with what many religions teach.

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my mom smokes alot.
her best friend dyed 5 years ago from lung cancer. and I'm scared of my mom also getting it!
not only does my mom have a chance of it I do too because she smokes in the house.
what should I say to her to get her to understand that her smoking is affecting my health too?

Unfortunately quiting smoking is a very personal thing. The strength of the addiction varies considerably.

You can try what the person below suggested, but I guarantee you that it will only work on a small percentage of the population.

When I was a smoker, you could have done anything; shown me anything; and I would have kept smoking. Same goes for 8 out of 10 of my smoker friends (all of whom still smoke today unfortunately).

If anyone had tried any sort of aggressive thing to make me stop it would not just have failed, but it would have backfired 100%. Same goes for my own mom. I tried all sorts of things when I was a child. In hindsight, they were too direct and argumentative.

So, this is what I would suggest. First, stay away when she smokes. Go to your room and close the door. Make sure to air out the place regularly too.

Second, initiate friendly conversation on the matter. It is very likely your mom has considered quiting before. Try to understand how she feels about it, why she has/has not tried quiting, etc.

Most hardcore smokers (like I was) cannot image a world without a smoke. The addiction is so great that even now, many years later, I still crave a cig from time to time. I think it will never go away fully. Thats the level of addiction you might have to deal with and, if so, you cant just bulldoze it away any more than you can bulldoze away a heroin addiction.

Anyway, after that you need to see how receptive she is to quiting. Your role her is support and gentle persuasion. Share your feelings, what scares you about losing her, about your own health, about her friend's death, etc. By all means talk about the health issues (bring pictures if you want), but I would do it in an open and non aggressive way.

Let her know that if she tries to quit she will have your full support in any way possible. Perhaps you could look into some products that might make things easier (again though, these work on some people but not on others- just so you know).

Then, when she is ready to quit, help her and support her in any way you can. Basically one has to make it through the first month. After that it gets much easier.

In the end every smoker is different so there is no formula. But this is the approach I would take in most cases.

Good luck.

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okay so both my parents smoke in the house, every time they smoke I go into my room and close the door but I can sometimes still smell it is that considered 2nd hand smoke?
or do you have to be RIGHT next to the smoker for it to be considered that?

Technically it would still be second hand smoke as long as you inhale any of it. However, I really doubt that it is anything substantial based on what you describe. I for one would not worry about it.

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Does God exist? Yes or no.

Give supporting claims for either answer.

Well, I personally suspect everything is random. For all the wonderful things and the amazing universe and all that, you can find at least as many horrible things and truly random occurances.

However, that in itself is not an argument.

Truth is that no one can answer that question categorically. In fact, no one can answer any question categorically since, in a way, we cannot ever be sure of anything. This is the cornerstone of good scientific practice, and it has allowed us to evolve our knowledge over the years.

But... that does not mean that one should consider the existence of a deity any more than one should consider the existence of an invisible unicorn, an unidiscovered & unsupported form of energy, magic, whatever.

The burden of proof falls on the person making the claim. This is the way things work- and good thing too otherwise ANY crazy old assertion would be just as valid. As it stands now we have had thousands of religions with thousands of deities over the centuries, and not one has provided one ounce of evidence. That makes them all equal- and all equally unlikely (i.e. at the bottom of the barrel with the unicorn).

The question you asked is a common one. It is not always that relevant though since I could not categorically (beyond the shadow of any doubt) tell you that I exist. A better phrasing would be "do we have any reason whatsoever to consider the existence of a God." And the answer to that one is a resounding "no".

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does genetics have anything to do with whether or not you can tone certain areas? cuz my legs, particularly my thighs, are pretty chubby and its genetic and ive played soccer for 6 years and tennis for 2 and my legs have never really toned up after all that. they do just a little bit during the seasons but anyway thats mainly my calves, my thighs perty much stay the same, any ideas on what i can do?

Yes they do, unfortunately.

The only thing anyone can do is to lower their overall fat percentage. There's nothing more to it than that, since targetting fat loss is impossible. So it follows that there is no exercise of any kind that will help- except in its capacity to burn calories and aid in a calorie deficit (neccessary for general weight loss).

As we lower our body fat, fat cells are pulled from all over, with genetics determining if some areas are more "stubborn" than others.

What you have to decide is where you will be happy. I mean, sometimes it can take lot of work and a low body fat percentage to get rid of the problem areas...

So the short answer is diet and exercise so as to achieve a calorie deficit. Thats all she wrote :)

Good luck.

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What are some low carb snacks that I can buy at Walmart or Stop and Shop?
Thanks :)

Hey there.

I was just reading the other answer and I think there may be some confusion as to what low carb actually means. Many of the things on there are primarily carb sources. E.g. snack bars, bananas, bread, muffins, cereal, and crackers. Just having a bit is not making the content a "low carb" source, its just eating less.

Here are some ideas:

Jerkey
Nuts and seeds of all sorts (more healthy to get unsalted)
Celery (e.g. with peanut butter)
Cheese sticks
Jello (sugar free)
Pork rinds (horrible stuff... but very low carb)
Cottage cheese
Yoghurts

In the fruit department, berries and apples are very good choices, particularly mixed with something else (something very low on carbs)- e.g. that strawberry & cottage cheese example in the answer below.

If you are into cooking you could also google low carb desserts/recipes and make your own stuff.

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I want to lose 10 pounds in the next 2 months- By June 15th. I am female, 17 years old, i currently weigh 165-170 lbs (it fluctuates) and i am 5'9". I want to weigh 155-160 lbs. I was wondering if someone can make me a daily work-out plan i could do over the next couple months to help me achieve my goal. I really don't know many effective exercises.

Thank you!

Hey there.

The problem with making you a specific plan is that I dont know what you have available, what you are willing to invest in (e.g. a gym membership), and what your current fitness level is.

So, it will have to be rather vague.

First you need cardio. It could be jogging, brisk walking (if you are in bad shape), biking, swimming, stair machines etc. Cardio should be steady pace, not too intensive (at a rate where you could still carry out a conversation), and last for at least 20 minutes to get the heart health benefits. As you get fitter I would go longer to burn more calories.

You should do this 3- 6 times per week.

This in itself is enough. An ideal program however combines cardio with weight lifting since the latter preserves muscle loss during dieting and positively affects the metabolism. If you are planning to do this, let me know and I can help you with a routine.

Otherwise you can also throw in some exercises at home. Here is a link to a video I dug up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mgfd77FYGcY

The guy is a bit dorky but very creative :D

A few more searches on youtube can get you plenty of options but keep this in mind:

1. Try to train your whole body, i.e. as many muscles as possible. Fat loss cannot be targetted so what we are after here is preservation of muscle tissue and calorie burning.

2. Train both sides of your body. Dont make the classic mistake to just do abs. This can lead to posture problems if you do not also train your lower back. You can see a lower back exercise in the vid at 2.37, and overall his routine seems pretty complete.

3. Take one to two days of rest before training the same muscle. A full body routine could be done say Mon, Wed, Fri. Recovery depends on many, many factors, so listen to your body.

So now you have the basic components. Make sure you clean up your diet and eat sensible, balanced meals. You goal is very attainable so just be patient and monitor your progress. You can then tweak your diet and routine as you go along.

Good luck :)

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What does it mean to have a network? Like for example on Facebook it sometimes list someone's network. Does this mean that they randomly choose a network? or does it mean that they are connect from that area?

For example if someone's network said "Providence" Would it be that they were located in Providence or the Providence area? Or that they just randomly choose Providence? I don't understand what a network is.... thanks!

Hey there,

I just want to expand a bit on what was written below. Basically a network is a group of people that know each other (to some degree) and have something in common or have common interests. It really is not any more complicated than that. It does not have to be based on a region- though it can be. It can also be related to work, to personal interests, family, friends, etc.

In business we talk a lot about networking. Its a type of socialisation that involves widening the net of people that you know- people that might be useful in some way at some other point in time (and vice versa). If you go unemployed for example, you can use your own personal business network to try to find a job.

On facebook official networks are usually based around places and institutions. There are networks for people from verious countries; or who went to school in the same place; or who are working for the same company. So, for your example, the answer should be yes- these people are or were located in Providence.

Thats pretty much it :)

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Is it possible that you could be born evil? or even to do bad? I always hear people saying they were born to do something... and there is the belief that homosexuals are born that way... Furthermore I see serial killers on the news and people say they were just born that way...Is it all about how you were raised or is it just the way you are? So is it possible to be born to be bad person?

First of all, let me say that I agree with Razhie's answer, so I won't repeat any of that.

I just want to expand on a few things, and then throw a more philosophical idea at you- its going to be kind of long, so if you don't like that sort of thing, you can just skip my answer altogether :)

I had a friend that studied psychology a few years ago. I saw a rather comprehensive study which looked at genetic vs environmental factors in regards to crime. The study included data gathered from adopted children. So, you had adopted children with biological parents that had a criminal background, raised in law abiding families, and vice versa. This study at least showed a greater correlation with genetics.

Basically the children with criminal biological parents, living in "good" families, had a greater tendency to become criminals than children from "good" families raised by criminals. That was rather shocking to me.

I am sure they have carried out many more studies since, so I would encourage you to try to use google for more info. Its a fascinating subject.


Now, I am more into philosophy than psychology, so let me take a different angle:

Does anyone have free will?

Volumes have been written on this, but I just want to throw a very basic scenario at you.

At any given moment, who you are and what decisions you make (e.g. to eat, to argue, to hug, to murder, etc) is something that is entirely dependent on your past. In other words, the exact person you are right this second is a product of all the decisions you ever made, and all the environmental influences you have ever faced. These shaped you into the exact individual you are now (down to each molecule, hormonal secretion, wiring of the brain, etc.). So, in order to be responsible for your actions now, you had to be responsible for your actions at a previous time, which led to the person that you are today.

So, if you exist at a theoretical point X, and any decision you make now is dependent on what you decided, and who you were at point X-1 (one second ago, one minute ago, one year ago, it doesn't matter), then similarly your responsibility for actions taken at X-1 depended entirely on an earlier time as well. In other words, you could not possibly be responsible for decisions taken at X-1 unless you were also responsible for what happened X-2.

Tracing this chain of responsibility back (x-1 leading to x-2, to x-3, to x-4), you invariably arrive at your birth- the point where you made the very first decision of your life. At that moment only two things could possibly have been responsible for that decision 1. your genetics and 2. your environment (where you were, your parents, the room temperature, etc).

But you see neither of these things were in your control. So you could not possibly have been responsible, and be held accountable, for that decision. And if every single decision thereafter depends entirely on the chain spawned from that event and that moment, then free will is nothing more than an illusion.

I do hastily want to add that there are many schools of thought on free will. However, there are a few powerful arguments against the notion that anyone is truly responsible for anything. Its not something you normally hear about, so I figured I would just bring it up.

Anyway, hope I didnt bore you too much :)

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My body has never known physical activity or healthy eating habits, until recently. I've lost 5 lbs in one week and I did it the healthy way, I ate and exercised. I think it's just because my body isn't used to this new lifestyle. Can anyone give me a good work out routine for the gym? We have an arm machine, elliptical, treadmill, weight machines, pretty much everything. I know that doing the same workout routine everyday causes muscle to form instead of burning fat, so if you could tell me two different routines to do that are about 1 and a half hrs long that'd be great. I'm aiming to lose 40lbs+ within the next 5-9 months. I'm 18F/219 lbs. THANKYOU!

Hey there.

This got a bit long, so I gave it headings :)


Some Background Info:

First off this line...

"I know that doing the same workout routine everyday causes muscle to form instead of burning fat"

... is not correct. Doing the same routine every day prevents muscles from forming. Recuperation time is key for muscle growth.

As for burning fat, well thats a matter that is largely defined by your calorie balance.

Before I give you a routine, let me explain a little about how things work during weight loss. For the most part, if one keeps a regular calorie deficit (i.e. without calorie zig-zags), the body will only be able to lose weight. This means that putting on muscle will be extremely difficult/ impossible no matter what one does.

Beginners (i.e. in first few months) can see gains even during weight loss, leading to the illusion that they can do both- weight loss and muscle gain- at once. This is temporary and is partially caused by the body adapting to weight lifting rather than actual muscle gains.

Weight lifting during weight loss is very important for muscle preservation. The important part here is to realise that weight loss is not about the numbers, its about what those numbers represent. E.g. if person A loses 3 pounds and person B loses 2 pounds, but person A's weight loss is 50% muscle, while person B's is 10%, then person B has done a lot better. Person A's metabolism will eventually do down the toilet :)


The Routine:

Now, a combination of weight lifting and cardio is an excellent way to lose weight and stay in great shape. Below I will give you two different workouts for weights. You can do them on subsequent days, but give yourself at least 2 days break between same workouts (e.g. Day1: Monday, Day2: Tuesday, Day1: Thursday...)

I will explain the reasoning for my choices below.

Day 1:

Barbell squat or Barbell/Dumbbell lunges (Quads)
Lying or seated leg curls (Hamstrings)
Wide Grip Lat pulldown (Lats)
Seated Cable Rows (Middle back)
Hyperextensions (Lower back)

All exercises except hyperextensions do 3 sets of 10- 12. Hyperextensions do 2 or 3 sets of 15- 20.


Day 2:

Barbell/ Dumbell bench press (Chest)
Barbell/ Dumbell shoulder press (Delts)
Barbell/ Dumbell curl (biceps)
Cable tricep extension- any variant (triceps)
Crunches- any variant (abs)
Knee/ hip raise (abs- lower)

You can find all of these here:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/

Both presses do 3 sets of 10-12. Biceps and triceps do 2 sets of 10-12. Abs do 2 or 3 sets of 20- 25 (or aim for that if you are not fit enough yet).

On each day, follow your weights with steady pace cardio that lasts at least 20 minutes. When you feel fitter, raise this to over 30. The best machine you can use is the stair machine. Because it is a weight bearing exercise, it will positively affect your lower body (muscles, tendons, etc) in a way the others do not. As long as it is an independent action stepper (i.e. when you push one foot down, the other does not automatically get pushed up), it is also very light on your joints- about one third less pressure than the treadmill.

However they are all good, so the best one is actually the one you can stick to regularly. You can also alternate or do different machines on each day. I sometimes do 20 on the stair and 20 on the eliptical for variation.

Cardio can be done any day, just make sure to leave at least one full rest day per week.

Remember also that you should eat shortly after your weight workout to prevent muscle loss. Protein shakes are good too for supplmenetation.


Explanation:

Now, you will notice a few things about my routine. 1. There are almost no machines 2. They are based around compound (multiple joint) freeweight exercises.

The reason for this is that machines are never as good. They do not train your supporting muscles which is both less practical and a bit dangerous; they easily overtrain the muscle which risks injury; and you have to do so many more exercises just to begin to get close to what freeweight, compound exercises achieve. Most people in the gym (particularly girls I am sorry to say) train wrong, plain and simple.

The only justification for using a machine is for specific isolation by fairly advanced users and/ or substituting an exercise that for some reason one has a problem doing (e.g. an injury).

The routine I gave you covers all the major muscle groups and supporting muscles. It is effective and should not take you much more than 30 minutes.


Ok, thats pretty much it. Remember its your diet that will make or break your efforts, but it seems that you are well on your way. Good for you. Aim for a steady 2 pound/ week weight loss rate and you will be just fine.

Good luck.

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Hey, so im not over wieght i look like im in shape but im not!!!! i want to be as healthy as i can be but im really lazy im willing to give a effort now to reach a goal and be more heathy any pointers like what to eat and when or what to do..? ps. i ma a vegatarian :p 16/f

Hey there.

In terms of exercise, there are many different goals you can have, all of which fit the criteria of fit and healthy.

However, pretty much everyone in the world, no matter what their goals, should do regular cardio. I am referring to steady pace, cardiovascular exercise lasting at least 20 minutes per session. Start by doing at least 3 sessions per week.

This can be biking, running, using a stair machine, etc. You should be doing it at a pace where you could still manage to carry out a conversation.

Thats the most important- regular cardio has so many health benefits I simply could not list them all here.

Then, if you have the time, energy, and money for a gym membership, I would throw in some weights. They are great for strengthening muscles, bones and tendons. They are also very good for the metabolism. Some recent studies are starting to show that intense workouts (which you can also get from most sports) help significantly vs diabetes.

Onto food. This one is really down to basic, sound nutrition.

First off, if you eat animal products (I take it you are not a vegan right?) start by minmising your saturated fat intake. You find that mainly in fatty animal products.

Second make sure you eat a balanced diet with plenty of vegetables and fruit.

Replace your carbs with whole grain products.

Make sure you eat small daily amounts of healthy fats. These are found in oily fish, good oils, nuts (eat the unsalted kind), olives, etc. Pay particular attention to your Omega 3 intake since most people have a deficiency there. Specific sources include oily fish, walnuts, canola, and even also in dark green leafy vegetables.

Limit sugar intake and other sources of empty calories (usually from other kinds of junk foods and stuff with sugar added to it).

That should put you very much on the right track. Just remember, eat sensibly, eat regularly, and eat balanced. Add regular exercise to the mix and you are well on your way :)

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So my boyfriend wants me to learn how to cook but i kinda don't want to, it takes to long to cook. I don't know what to do.. Should I learn? And if so, where can I learn??

First of all, you really should only do it if you want to. Cooking needs love :)

That being said, I think cooking can be fun. I look at it like a little experiment where you get to mix a whole bunch of things togther, and then you get to eat the outcome.

If you do decide to learn, I would start with a simple cook book. I am sure you will find tons of options at a bookstore. I think a beginner book would be the best option, since it will have a nice assortment or recipes and good instructions.

You can also google "simple recipes" and you will be overwhelmed with options. Then just pick some stuff you like and try it out.

There is also the option of going on a course if there is one in your area, but I wouldn't bother with that personally.

Just remember, once you get the gist of what is going on, start to experiment. Its all about creativity.

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